North civic body school teachers strike to protest non-payment of salaries

nNEW DELHI: Teachers associated with a body of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation run schools went on a strike on Monday, protesting non-payment of salaries for the past three months.

Kuldeep Khatri, president of the Shikshak Nyaya Manch Nagar Nigam, said teachers have not been given their salaries for the months of March, April and May. “We distribute ration and food to the destitute but due to non-payment of salaries our own survival has become tough. Today (Monday), dry ration was not distributed at any of the centres while cooked food was distributed at designated centres,” Khatri said.

MCD teachers have been engaged in the work of dry ration and food distribution at municipal schools across north Delhi amid Covid-19 pandemic.

However, Ramniwas Solanki, general secretary of the MCD Teachers Association—an umbrella body of all teachers’ associations— said that it was a “symbolic strike”which was staged to protest against nonpayment of salaries. “We have given the government and the civic body time till July 14 to resolve the issue. Afterwards, we will go on indefinite strike for the fulfilment of our demands,” Solanki said. He also added that food and ration was distributed at some centres.

A senior north civic body official said that the file regarding disbursing salaries of employees is being processed. “We are hopeful that salaries will be released within this month,” the official said.

Avtar Singh, mayor north corporation, said that teachers’ problem is genuine but strike is not the way to push for their demands. “We are trying hard to give them salaries. We have asked for the funds from the Delhi government for the same,” he said.